A visit to the group of monuments at Sirpur, Chhattisgarh

Barnawarpara is a perfect weekend getaway from Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. Good accessibility, perfect roads and descent wildlife experience makes it a great stopover for tourists of various interests. While returning from Barnawapara we crossed the historic village of Sirpur. ‘Orange’ colored banners along the roadside made it impossible to miss having a look anyway. Situated on the banks of Mahanadi, the town’s history dates back to 6th century AD. Monuments and ruins of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist origin exist here. The town was also visited by famous Chinese scholar Huen Tsang. Later it was ruled by rulers of Maurya dynasty. The Laxman temple and the adjoining museum, well maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India are the prime attractions. Though most of the structures were destroyed, few remaining sculptures depict a sense of architectural marvel.

We then headed on to the Buddhist Vihara, which was the site of teaching Buddhism for several centuries. The main hall area leads to a giant Buddha statue. The wall architecture on the entrance is precise depicting mythological stories. We tried to explore few more stupas after going off the road for a kilometer wherever the street signs pointed. The stupas were mostly in ruins.